Credit

Caption

The Milky Way above the 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla Observatory, Chile. Visible to the left of the Milky Way is the bright orange star Antares at the heart of the constellation Scorpius. Saturn can be seen as the brightest point on the upper left of Antares and Alpha and Beta Centauri glow in the upper right of the image. The Southern Cross (Crux) and the Coalsack dark nebula are also visible above Alpha and Beta Centauri. The NTT was the first telescope in the world to have a computer-controlled main mirror (active optics). La Silla is at 2400 metres above sea level on the edge of the Chilean Atacama Desert. It is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).